LASERS AND LASER APPLICATIONS IN THE 1990S - A SURVEY OF LASER SAFETYSCHEMES

A survey of the status of laser safety in UK laser companies is report ed. UK laser manufacturers/suppliers were questioned on the types of l aser sold, their application and about their laser safety schemes. Nea rly two-thirds of suppliers produce lasers in the Class IIIB and IV ca tegories, i.e. those requiring the highest level of safety precautions . However, just under half the companies had difficulties in implement ing the current UK laser safety standards (BS 7192/IEC 825). A case is demonstrated for a mechanism providing practical advice on implementa tion of these standards. This is further strengthened by comparison of a survey carried out five years ago indicating a similar number of ma nufacturers with difficulties.